Coffee from Farm to Table

“Farm to Table” is a mainstay in Vermont.  Now we have a farm to table coffee experience just five minutes from the Inn!  DePalo Coffee, just down the mountain on Route 4, opened in June of 2019. Dennis and Amanda O’Connor operate a small coffee farm in Nicaragua and roast their own beans in their new shop in Mendon. They work with other farmers on reforestation and clean water projects, organic farming, food security, farm diversification and sustainability in Amanda’s home country. The couple met there while Dennis served in the Peace Corps.

Besides Nicaraguan coffee, they also have coffee from Ethiopia and El Salvador, homemade cinnamon rolls, eclairs, banana bread muffins, cookies, cake slices, baked donuts, Chaga tea, and Nicaraguan chocolate. For a refreshing drink try their “frescas”, a juice drink popular in Latin America.  And if you’re hungry, order the beef or chicken tacos with a side of beans and rice for an authentic Nicaraguan flavor — not your typical Taco Bell special.  Their coffees are direct trade, 100% shade grown, single-source. They’re all medium roast with higher quality Arabica varieties from different growing conditions. You can order a fresh cup of coffee or espresso or buy a bag to go.

A noted difference from large commercial growers compared to the small farms the O’Connors deal with is the air-drying of beans in shaded “African beds”, mesh raised off the ground instead of on concrete or plastic where the beans absorb odors and create an off-taste. That’s why the other growers have to blend their coffee varieties.

Why not stop by while in the area?  The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm, Sunday 8 am to 1 pm, closed Monday.  Tell them we sent you!